A gamble lost
by Queen Selene I
Summary: B'Elanna found out about Chakotay being together with Seven and she isn't happy! Demanding an explanation she gets one which she doesn't expect.
1. Chapter 1

Had a conversation just now with a dear friend of mine who also doubles as my beta reader. We were talking how we felt about the "Endgame" episode and the C/7 pairing... this drabble came out of it. This was my first expression on that particular pairing and I have never quite been able to shake it off.

As for those wondering what happened to "Endgame & beyond"... I am working on it, the next chapter is nearly done just struggling with the last scene it isn't right yet. Had most of it done last week but the last scene just won't come.

**A gamble lost  
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B'Elanna Torres was on a mission. Just earlier today they had at last managed to reach the Alpha Quadrant and were now in orbit around Earth after seven very long years. She had given birth during the last hours of their journey and had just been released from sickbay. While normally nothing could have taken her from either of her babies, Miral and of course the ships engines, she had heard the most incredible rumour and now had to see for herself if it was true. Having handed Miral to her father Tom and not being allowed in main engineering anyway had not helped and instead her fury mounted with every step she took towards a certain first officers quarters. If what she had heard was true she was going to kill him – best friend or not! Storming into his quarters she didn't wait around. "Is it true?" She demanded to know without even saying hello.

Chakotay didn't appreciate her coming in like that but luckily he saw the expression on her face and wisely decided to talk to her instead of throwing her out. "Is what true?"

"Are you really in a relationship with Seven?"

Surprised he looked at her before reluctantly admitting to it. "We went on a few dates I wouldn't call it a relationship."

B'Elanna now looked at him in complete disbelief. "Are you insane?" Just as he was about to interrupt her she quickly continued with, "No, don't answer that you obviously are!"

"You are out of line Lieutenant!" He thundered back.

"No, I don't think I am." The half Klingon in front of him said before looking at him for a minute and softly asking what she really wanted to know. "Why? I thought you are in love with the Captain?"

A sheepish expression flittered across the Commanders face. "Well yes, I am." He admitted at last.

"What?" Came the spluttered reply now.

The look on her face wasn't good he knew and he couldn't help himself – he started squirming. "Well, I was hoping to make Kathryn jealous if I am honest."

"With Seven?" Came the too dry reply and he winced. Not daring to say a word he just nodded and automatically took a step back when his friend growled at him. "Well, I hope you are happy because you should know that you have completely destroyed any kind of relationship with Kathryn, friends or otherwise." She told him and then turned to exit his quarters.

"Wait!" He exclaimed and continued when he saw that she had stopped just inside the room. "What do you mean with that? I know making her jealous didn't work but we are home! There is no more command relationship which stands in our way."

B'Elanna couldn't help it now she gaped at him openly not believing that anyone could be that stupid. "You really don't know what you have done do you?" She asked him incredulously after a minute of silence. "You used Seven to make her jealous! You used her!" She accused him at last.

He winced at those words before giving her a look. "It sounds really bad when you say it like that you know?"

"It is what it is, get used to it." Came the dry reply from B'Elanna who was by now completely exasperated by him and it showed in her tone. "Seven is more then half your age..."

"You trying to make me sound old now?" He interrupted with a raised eyebrow.

But his friend was undeterred. "... and like a daughter to Kathryn."

"D... D – Daughter?" He spluttered now.

"Indeed." B'Elanna answered with a raised eyebrow. She just couldn't believe that he never saw that, everyone else on the crew had seen it years ago. "Kathryn will never start anything with you now. She wants to see Seven happy and if that is with you then so be it."

"How do you know that?"

"She told me so herself." At his deer caught in the headlights look she decided to explain some more. "I spoke to her an hour ago and she admitted that while she is in love with you she will never stand in Sevens way. Even if that means that she has to play mother of the bride at your wedding."

A whispered "Wedding?" was now the only thing that came out of Chakotays mouth.

B'Elanna just shrugged in reply. "I don't know why she said that maybe Seven mentioned something to her? She wouldn't explain it anyway."

"Where is she? I need to explain!" A completely panicked Chakotay now wanted to know.

A pointedly raised eyebrow was his answer to that. "Seven or Kathryn?"

"Kathryn of course!"

"She is gone. Beamed down to headquarters half an hour ago." The Commander had by now completely lost his ability to speak and just stared at his friend in silence so she continued. "Face it, old man! You have gambled and you have lost." With that she turned and this time left the room without being stopped.


	2. Chapter 2

Was asked to write more of this story so did it earlier today. I hope you all get a laugh out of this, though updates may take a while as I'm working on another story and this was originally started as a bit of fun.

**Chapter 2**

At the Pathfinder Project in San Francisco it had been a hectic day. Nothing had been made official yet and no one knew what exactly was going on but Admiral Owen Paris had been grinning from ear to ear all morning after hastily calling a press conference. It was clear that several other people also knew what was happening which included Reginald Barclay but even his friend Deanna Troi had no idea what was going on. She had been called by Reg who had practically demanded that she came but would only say that he had a surprise for her. So now she stood in the giant conference room watching the people around her bustling backwards and forwards like chickens with their heads cut off. Around one hundred people from the press had been invited, several dignitaries and also the highest ranking officers in Starfleet, which were being shielded by Security, were in the room with everyone waiting for Admiral Nechayev to start speaking. _"Whatever this is about it must be big." _The Counsellor mused just as Alynna Nechayev stepped forward and asked for quiet.

Alynna waited quietly refusing to speak before the room was quiet. "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming." She started at last before taking a deep breath. "Seven hours ago we detected a transwarp conduit less then a light year from Earth..."

Panicked cries of "The Borg!" and "We are going to be assimilated!" interrupted her, everyone knowing immediately what a transwarp conduit is.

"If you will let me finish!" The Admiral thundered back and glared at everyone till it was once again quiet. Taking another deep breath the Admiral started speaking again in a calmer voice. "Yes you are right it was the Borg. Our scanners told us that the graviton emissions were off the scale so we didn't know how many cubes were going to come through. Admiral Owen Paris as ranking officer immediately ordered all ships in range to converge on the opening and to use all necessary force. In the end only one cube came out with the conduit closing behind it. We didn't know it then but have by now been informed that the conduit belonged to a transwarp network the Borg used to employ cubes all over the universe in minutes and that it has been destroyed. This is of course a giant blow to the Borg..."

While the reporters had been quiet after the Admiral had shouted at them now one got over his fear and interrupted her. "What about the cube which did come through?" He asked and quiet murmuring rose around the room making it clear that everyone wanted to know about it.

"It has been destroyed though not by any of the Fleet ships which had been ordered to attack it." The Admiral told them calmly and smirked at their dumbfounded reactions. "Our ships of course attacked it immediately after it entered our space but we barely did any damage. Unknown to us there was another ship which had come through the conduit and was hidden within the cube. It had been unable to outrun the cube and their Captain had banked on the fact that their shields would hold long enough for the Borg not to assimilate her crew. Waiting till they exited the conduit they then did what none of us could do and destroyed the cube in a single shot."

"A single shot?" One reporter asked. "Who is powerful enough to destroy a Borg Cube in a single shot?"

Alynna could now see looks of awe for such a powerful ship but also fear on the faces of a lot of people so she simply said. "Voyager."

For a minute there was dumbfounded silence before pandemonium broke out! Everyone of course knew about the _U.S.S. Voyager _and it's by now legendary crew which had been lost seven years ago in the Delta Quadrant but last they had heard the ship was still over thirty thousand light years away. Questions were shouted left and right but Alynna couldn't understood what she was being asked though one thing was glaringly clear – they didn't believe her!

Owen Paris had been watching quietly so far but now couldn't wait any more. With a determined look on his face he stepped up beside Alynna and tabbed his comm badge. "Admiral Paris to the U.S.S. Voyager."

"_Voyager here, what can we do for you sir?"_

That voice had everyone quiet as if lightning had hit them and Owen shared a smirk with Alynna before continuing. "Is your senior staff ready to beam down?"

The answer came promptly._ "Yes sir, they are just waiting for permission now."_

"Permission granted."

Only seconds later a transporter beam could be seen on one side of the room which solidified into the senior staff of the famous ship with Captain Janeway standing in front. Each of them was wearing a dress uniform in the old by now outdated style and they were smiling broadly at the Admirals. Alynna immediately stepped forward and gave Captain Janeway a hug. "Welcome home Kathryn."

"Thank you Admiral." Came the answer from the Captain who was watching Tom Paris step into the arms of his father.

Seeing what had her attention Alynna quietly spoke so only Kathryn could hear her. "Owen has been very nervous about meeting his son again, he knows he was wrong. Any idea how Tom is feeling about him now?"

Janeway smirked at her before answering equally quietly. "I think they will be okay. Tom has changed a lot over the last seven years and there is also the little fact that he is bringing his own family in the form of B'Elanna and their daughter Miral with him."

Alynnas eyebrows rose in shock at that answer. "Daughter? Why haven't I heard about this before?"

she asked incredulously.

B'Elanna who had overheard the last bit snorted at that and stepped towards them with a sleeping baby in her arms. "Because Miral Kathryn was born while we were in the transwarp conduit." She answered her while making sure that the Admiral heard her daughters full name.

"Tom already joked that it must have been the longest birth canal in history." Kathryn added with a small smirk.

Alynna had been looking down at the quarter Klingon trying to see if there was a resemblance between Owen and the baby but at Kathryns words her head snapped back up. "Well, at least some things never change." She said quietly with amusement clearly showing in her tone.

In that moment they all became aware that the people around them had snapped out of their shock and the press was now trying to get their attention. "Ready?" Alynna asked them quietly and got twin nods in return. Turning towards the press she smirked again, knowing exactly what was going to happen. "Ladies and Gentlemen please calm down. The _Voyager_ senior staff on **duty** will be speaking to you in just a minute." She spoke and watched heads snap to her wondering why she would put an emphasise on duty. Another smirk answered the unasked question in the room and she turned back towards the _Voyagers._

B'Elanna was the first to step forward and cheerfully told them, "I just gave birth this morning to Miral Kathryn Paris, named after the two most important women in my life, so am on maternity leave." with a very significant look towards a blushing Captain. She had paused there before giving Tom an evil smirk, "My husband Tom Paris will be able to answer any questions about our family."

Tom looked at her in shock before spluttering, "But... but if we were on Voyager you would already be back in main engineering right now."

"Perhaps but we are home now aren't we?" She answered with an even bigger smirk before walking off the stage.

Seven was next to step forward. "I am not a member of Starfleet so will be going as well." She explained shortly before turning to Janeway and asking loud enough that everyone could hear her next words very clearly "Mom, are you coming?"

Complete silence filled the room as Captain Janeway stepped forward, had they heard right?

"Seven Annika Gretchen Janeway!" Kathryn growled at her adoptive daughter. "Are you insane to announce that right now?"

They had.

Confusion and hurt was evident on Sevens face as she asked quietly, "I thought you were proud of having adopted me?"

"I am!" Kathryn growled back before she grimaced. "But did you have to say it here before even my mother has been informed? She is going to kill me!" She practically whined at last.

"Why would grandma kill you? I am allowed to call her that correct?"

Kathryn had been massaging her head wondering how to survive her mothers explosion when she heard Sevens words and her eyes snapped back to Seven. "YES! Oh gods yes you must call her that. But we better go now." With that she grabbed a confused Seven by the arm and attempted to march her out of the room.

"Where are we going?" Seven voiced her confusion after only a few steps.

"Well I did promise you a couple years ago that I would show you around Indiana so that is where we are going now."

"Why now?" Came the question from B'Elanna.

"Because if we don't my mother will definitely kill me! I am hoping that if we can get there fast enough with Seven calling her grandma that I will survive her wrath!"

B'Elanna stared in disbelief at her Captain and friend before loudly exclaiming. "I don't believe this! In seven years against the Kazon, Hirogen, Vaadwar and many others...hell even the Borg Queen! I have never seen you scared... but you are scared of your mother?"

A glare was thrown her way before Kathryn answered. "You have never met her or you would be too!"

Commander Tuvok now stepped forward with a raised eyebrow. "But Captain, I believe that you are still on duty."

Behind Tuvok Harry Kim and the Doctor were both nodding at that but Kathryn was just shaking her head. "No, I'm not." She informed them with a small smirk.

Tuvoks eyebrows now practically rose off his head and the officers behind him, apart from a pale looking Chakotay, were also looking at her in disbelief. The Doctor was the one who spoke first, "But on Voyager you would still be."

"If we were still in the Delta Quadrant you would be correct Doctor." Kathryn told him with an even bigger smirk before turning to Alynna and the other Admirals. "Admirals, am I still the highest ranking Starfleet officer in thirty thousand light years?"

Alynna was grinning while the brass beside and around her were slowly beginning to understand what was going on. As one they all shock their heads.

With a wicked smile Kathryn turned back towards her officers. "Which means for me no more double or even triple shifts... no more being thrown out of bed after only an hour or two of sleep due to a red alert! I have done my shift today and I also believe that Starfleet owes me some leave." With that she got a PADD out of her pocket and scrolled through it. "Ah here it is... six weeks of leave before I have to report for debriefings. I see you all then!" With those words and a small wave she once again grabbed Seven and left the room through a side door with a laughing B'Elanna Torres following.

Harry and Tom were staring after them in disbelief when Tuvok stepped forward again. "I have been granted leave on medical grounds so will also be going."

As they watched him leave as well the Doctor had a thoughtful look on his face who then turned towards the Admirals. "I am still only a hologram right?"

"Which means you have to stay!" A relieved Tom exclaimed now.

But Alynna was shaking her head at that. "Doctor your court date about whether or not you are sentient is next week. In the meantime you are in the care of Captain Janeway, you will have to stay with her."

The Doctors face showed a broad grin when he turned back towards Tom and Harry. "I see you all soon." With that he ran to catch up with his Captain.

Everyone stared after them, everyone but Harry and Tom whose faces had darkened and they rounded in anger on their XO. "This is all your fault!" Tom accused Chakotay now but quietly so no one could hear their conversation.

Chakotay was still pale and completely shocked by the revelations but now looked at them in confusion. "My fault?"

Harry wished he could just smack the idiocy out of the Commander but, mindful of the full room they were in, only used words to cut him down. "Yes your fault! If you hadn't thought only with your dick the Captain would still be here and take care of the press."

Chakotay had been listening in confusion but Harrys words made him angry. "I have not..." He started only to be interrupted by Tom.

"Yes, you have!" Tom told him with a very dark look in his eyes. "The entire crew knows that you are in love with Captain Janeway and she with you! We thought once we get home you would get together but no only weeks before you start a relationship with Seven of all people."

"Her daughter!" Harry added with a growl.

"But... but how could I have known that?" Chakotay stammered.

Tom and Harry were now staring at him in disbelief. "Who was it that mentored Seven from day one?" Tom asked quietly after a minute of silence.

"Who brought Seven back by asking only for her trust when her Borg implants and human nature clashed?" Harry asked straight after with a dark look on his face.

"It was Captain Janeway and no one else." Came now another voice from behind them and they turned to see Admirals Nechayev and Paris stepping to them. Alynna was the one who had spoken and she continued quietly once she was sure she had their full attention. "As to the adoption itself... you know as well as we do that Seven will need protection now that we are in the Alpha Quadrant. People are still scared of the Borg and I doubt that will change any time soon. There has been talk about it for months about what would happen once you returned. Without the Captains protection Seven would be in custody right now to be dissected by scientists to find a weapon against the Borg. So we spoke to Seven as soon as we could and pushed the adoption through only an hour before this press conference."

"You forced her into the adoption?" Chakotay now asked with a growl.

The Admirals just shock their heads though and Owen spoke up to explain. "Kathryn and Seven had been talking about it for the last year and wanted to do it anyway. They had wanted to wait till they were home and Kathryns family was around but we had to do it before hand. All this did was the earlier date of it coming through. Seven especially was very nervous about meeting Gretchen and Phoebe Janeway and didn't want to start on the wrong foot. But that isn't the point we are trying to make Commander."

At the looks of confusion not only from Chakotay but also Tom and Harry Alynna had to chuckle. "You are in love with Captain Janeway." She accused him point blank now.

Chakotay was completely shocked and could only nod dumbly so Alynna decided to take pity on him. "Yes we have known for a while that there could be something more outside the command relationship for you and Kathryn." She told them and had to stifle a laugh at their shocked faces. "We have known your Captain for most of her life and it didn't exactly take a genius to figure out that you feel the same way Commander. She was very tempted to start a relationship with you out there but knew that even IF it had had worked out for you there would be trouble once you came home. And to be honest she didn't believe it would have worked considering your positions on the ship and neither did we."

"What do you mean?" Chakotay croaked now.

Owen looked at him in compassion knowing that while Chakotay had done a colossal mistake in the end his feelings for Kathryn were still there. "What would have happened if you had got together and then had an argument as Captain and First officer? Would you have been able to let it stay out of your private time limited as it was?"

Chakotay didn't know what to say to that. _"They were right even as just friends our relationship became strained once off duty every time we argued about a command decision." _He quietly admitted to himself.

Alynna read the emotions on his face correctly and had to add her own thoughts into it. "We know that at times your Command relationship barely held together due to the unresolved feelings between you. Even as 'just' friends it always stood between you and Kathryn had to think of the crew first of all. She needed a clear head at all times and as a transfer for either of you wasn't an option being your friend while on board was all she could offer. I can't even imagine the pressure the both of you have been under for the last seven years but Commander you have to remember that as bad as it was for you... it was ten times harder for her."

Chakotay stared at the Admiral in shock. "What? But..."

Alynna just held up her hand to stop him though. "Yes you were a team but in the end every decision and every life on that ship was in her hands alone. Even you had to follow her orders and we were too far away to really give her the backup every Starfleet Captain needs. One hundred and fifty lives in her hands for seven long years, never knowing what the next day would bring..." She trailed off and looked at him with a grim look in her eyes.

"She had to have a certain space for herself or the pressure would have crushed her." Tom added quietly while Harry and Owen just nodded.

There was silence for a minute before Owen started speaking again. "There is also the added problem of what would have happened to the Marquis and Equinox survivors if she had started a relationship with you."

Alynna saw the dark look on Chakotays face and again correctly interpreted what he was thinking. "Don't get us wrong after everything that happened Owen and I would do anything to protect every member of the crew but without Kathryn that would have ended in disaster."

"But why would she not...?"

"Because people would have seen her as compromised." Owen interrupted him.

"Why won't they now? Why does it matter whether or not we actually started something?"

Tom had immediately understood though and clarified the situation. "Because they don't know anything for sure."

"Indeed." Alynna confirmed quietly and shot a nervous look towards Security who were currently shielding them from the press to make sure no one would overhear them. "It would have come out one way or another and while Owen and I have a lot of influence we alone would not have been able to protect you or any other member of the crew. But Kathryn is the Captain of _Voyager _and with everything that has happened will be seen as the new Starfleet Golden Girl which gives her a lot of influence."

"Anyway it doesn't matter any more does it?" Harry now added darkly. "You started a relationship with Seven and lost any chance with the Captain."

Owen and Alynna now stared at them in shock. "What?" Both of them asked at the same time.

"It's how we got to the topic of Sevens adoption in the first place." Tom clarified for them.

Owen was now quiet not knowing what to say but Alynna had just had to know what was going on. "But we thought you love Kathryn!"

"I... I do." Chakotay admitted reluctantly.

"Then why?" Alynna asked quietly.

There was a guilty look on Chakotays face now but he refused to comment. Alynna wasn't the highest ranking Starfleet officer for nothing though and threw him a look identical to one Kathryn shot at enemies just before ordering to fire. "So let me get this straight... when you couldn't get Kathryn you went to Seven instead?" She asked in a very low tone which coupled with the look in her eyes had Chakotay gulping and taking a step back in fear. "Is it because Seven has picked up on a couple of Kathryns characteristics or is it because she is younger and better looking?"

Chakotay just stared at her not knowing what to say.

Owen wasn't going to let this go without a comment. "Or maybe it was just to hurt Kathryn? Maybe get some revenge on her?"

That one shocked him out of his stupor. "What? NO!" He vehemently denied now.

"But that is exactly what you did." Tom finished his fathers thoughts which immediately shut Chakotay up again.

"And with her daughter figure to boot. That just makes it worse." Alynna added with a look of disgust directed at the Commander.

"As I said earlier I think he only thought with his dick." Harry commented now.

"Agreed." Three voices chimed as one.

"Could you please stop? B'Elanna already laid into me earlier!" Chakotay practically whined now. "I know I have messed up and I'm sorry okay?"

Four expectant faces now looked at him, none of them saying a word.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Alynna rolled her eyes and with a sigh turned towards Tom and Harry. "Is he always this dense?"

"It's not often that we see it." Harry told her quietly in return.

Chakotay was just getting more confused now and his head swivelled from person to person hoping to get an explanation. In the end all four of them sighed at the same time and Owen took pity on him. "What are you going to do to get her back?"

"Who?" Chakotay clearly had completely lost the plot by now. "If you are talking about Kathryn B'Elanna already told me that I don't stand a chance at keeping even her friendship."

"Well if you plan on staying with Seven you certainly won't have a chance." Harry piped up now.

"_In a way this is actually quite funny. He truly is completely clueless!" _Alynna now thought in amusement. "Commander seriously if you truly love Kathryn you will have to fight for her. Break up this thing with Seven and then start grovelling at Kathryns feet!" She told him at last.

"Not all is lost yet but you will have to work for it." Owen added to that.

Chakotay looked at them now with hope in his eyes but just as he was about to rush out of the room to start with his newest 'mission' Alynnas hand on his arm stopped him. "Well, took you long enough but Kathryn did leave a little punishment for you behind didn't she?" She asked and then with a smirk turned him towards the press. "Have fun Commander!"

"_Oh shit!" _Was the only thought going through the mind of Chakotay just as the reporters started shouting questions at him.


End file.
